It’s not the first time this has happened this season, but it’s worse than in Indian Wells, where he lost to the Italian. Luca Nardi but in three sets. Also in the third round, this time of the ATP Masters 1000 on clay in Rome, Novak Djokovic suffered a great disaster.
It is strangely a puppet in the hands of the Chilean Alejandro Tabilo, 26-year-old left-hander and world No. 32. The world number one, six-time champion at the Roman Foro Italico, went down in just over an hour, 6-2, 6-3 (67′), in one of his worst performances in recent memory.
And in a few weeks comes Roland Garros, where he must defend the crown and the 2,000 points that could destroy his leadership in the ranking, depending on how the Italian recovers from his hip injury. Jannik Sinner.
Carlos Alcarazalso in dry dock due to his right arm, although like his colleague trying to return to Paris, he will not have the mathematical option of returning to first place in the standings in the French capital.
vague Djokovic. Too much. Very rare. He can be defeated, yes, but not in such a forceful way, in so little sense of recovery.
It ended with a double fault, the fifth, and with a forced smile as he left the Campo Centrale, hearing a slight whistle from some fans who were not happy with the bad omen of the ‘Nole’.
The day before he showed irony and good humor by showing up to the facility with a protective bicycle helmet over his tennis cap. A response to dropping the bottle, accidentally but on his head, from a fan on Friday after his meeting with the Frenchman Corentin Moutet.
Overwhelmed in the first set at 31′, he immediately found himself at 0-2, Djokovic surrendered his serve with two double faults almost in a row. He was carried away by the euphoria of veil, in his first victory against a top-10 in three games. The Chilean gave his best, he didn’t open any doors for his famous rival, who didn’t know, didn’t want or couldn’t open them himself.
The South American arrived in good shape, as champion of the Aix-en-Provence Challenger, after making the semi-finals in Bucharest, although his journey was short in Monte Carlo and Madrid. This is his season, which opened with his first ATP title, in Auckland, from the qualifying phase.
Debutant in Rome, Tabilo knocked out a phantom number one. Semifinalist in Australia, third in Indian Wells, semifinals in Monte Carlo and third in Rome. This is the baggage of Djokovic towards Roland Garros.
That he is not comfortable on the court is more evident. For what reason? Only he can answer. If you don’t have them, the problem gets worse.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
